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Former Supercars series champion Brodie Kostecki has been involved in a nasty crash in qualifying for the Gold Coast 500that has resulted in four photographers being taken to hospital.
The Dick Johnson Ford star lost control of his Mustang as he powered into the opening chicane, which has been causing chaos for most drivers during the practice and qualifying sessions.
He ploughed almost head-first into a concrete barrier, wrapped in a layer of car tyres. A host of photographers were stationed behind the barrier and absorbed at least part of the impact.
Four were taken to hospital – two reportedly with ankle injuries, one with an elbow injury and one with a head injury. All were reported to be in stable condition.
Supercars organisers reacted immediately by issuing a directive banning photographers from using that vantage point.
Interviewed by Fox Sports, Kostecki expressed concern for the photographers.
Brodie Kostecki has crashed in qualifying at the Gold Coast 500.Credit: Getty Images
“I am physically good but hope the people behind the barrier are OK, because there is some news that some were injured,” Kostecki said.
He explained that he “just clipped the tyre bundle and it went under the wheels and went straight in head first … a misjudgement by me, but you pay the price when you make a mistake here.”
He admitted it was “not looking good” that his team could rebuild the mangled Mustang in time for Saturday’s main race.
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Kostecki also crashed at the same point on the circuit during Friday’s practice session, but not as seriously. His crash on Saturday ended the qualifying session prematurely.
His team were exploring the option of taking the vehicle off-site for chassis repairs to get it back on track for Sunday’s second race.
Given the cut-throat nature of Supercars’ new elimination finals series, if Kostecki finishes outside the top seven on the Gold Coast, the 2023 series champion will bow out of the title race.
Bathurst 1000 champion Matt Payne topped the session with a time of 1:08.2861.
MORE TO COME
The Herald’s visit to the Gold Coast 500 was funded by Supercars Australia.
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